Overview & Reviews

Chevrolet sells an impressively wide range of vehicles, from subcompact hatchbacks to huge vans and SUVs. If you're looking for a reasonably priced vehicle, odds are that Chevy will have something to fit your needs.

Chevrolet got its start in 1911. After William C. Durant had been ousted from General Motors, he joined forces with Swiss-born racecar driver Louis Chevrolet to found the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. The company's first offering was the Classic Six. Introduced in 1912, this five-passenger touring sedan could top 65 mph, fast for the time. Chevrolet's storied bowtie logo -- reportedly inspired by the wallpaper of a Paris hotel room that Durant stayed at -- made its first appearance in 1914.

By 1918, Chevrolet's profitability allowed Durant to purchase enough shares in GM to regain control. Chevrolet became another division of GM, and was its largest volume division by the mid-1920s. By 1927, Chevrolet outsold rival Ford, with sales in excess of 1 million units.

In the mid-1930s Chevrolet introduced independent front suspension, which provided a smoother ride over the rough roads of the day. The 1940s saw continued success with affordable coupes, sedans and pickup trucks catering to American families, farmers and businessmen.

By the mid-1950s, Chevrolet, GM's entry-level division, had added a V8 engine, power steering and brakes, power windows and air-conditioning to its list of available features, allowing luxury for those on a tighter budget. Around this time the iconic Bel Air model -- available in coupe, sedan, convertible and wagon body styles -- proved very popular. The company introduced its alluring Corvette in 1953; the vehicle was the first mass-produced car with a fiberglass body.

The 1960s saw the unveiling of the popular, air-cooled Corvair compact, which held the distinction of being the first domestic production car with all-around independent suspension. That decade also witnessed the launch of the compact Nova, the midsize Chevelle and the sporty Camaro, the latter Chevrolet's answer to the wildly successful Ford Mustang. The Camaro proved an instant hit, comprising 10 percent of Chevrolet's total sales in 1967, its first year of production.

In the 1970s, Chevy responded to changing preferences by introducing small cars like the Vega and the Chevette, and by downsizing larger models such as the Caprice and Malibu. The company combated the market domination of foreign nameplates in the 1980s by rolling out the Cavalier. By the end of that decade, trucks and SUVs had started to become increasingly popular with the general consumer, and the brand's mid- and full-size models continue to this day to be some of the most popular on the road.

The '90s and the early 2000s saw the company raising the performance bar with its Corvette (notably the Z06 and, later, ZR1 variants) and reincarnated Impala SS. Chevrolet's Silverado pickup truck and Tahoe/Suburban SUVs continued to be hits as well. By 2010, the Camaro had returned to the lineup after a seven-year hiatus.

Modern times have seen Chevrolet make significant improvements in its small and midsize car models and introduce the Volt plug-in hybrid. The latter provides a nearly 40-mile range on electric power alone, and adds to the company's already well-rounded lineup of cars, trucks and SUVs. Though today's marketplace is very demanding, Chevrolet seems poised to remain a power player through its affordable and innovative vehicles.

User Reviews:

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  Tracker Opinion - 2004 Chevrolet Tracker
  By Paul - April 1 - 7:52 am

  Not a bad vehicle. It has plenty of power to pull my 3000lb sail boat. Its pretty light so mileage is good but, it also means that it get blown around when its windy. Leg room for the back seats is lacking for normal sized humans. The seats fold down well so there is a lot of cargo capacity. The major negative for this vehicle is the interior. The interior is cheap plastic, and the seats are uncomfortable for any duration. The lack of sound insulation is another big issue. The interior road noise for this car is very loud. On the positive, the engine is over-sized. And handling is very stable, with little body roll. It actually handles better than my previous car, a Pontiac Grand Am.

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  Mexican guy - 2001 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Mexican guy - April 1 - 2:13 am

  I had the car for 4 year and the big problems started 8 months ago. The car gets accelerates once in a wile, but Chevrolet can’t find the problem, they said that the car is fine. Now the car when its not accelerated up to 2,500, the car wants to turn off, but never get to it. And to start in the road the car "thinks" like for 1 second before going. The a/c turns off when it wants. The break has been replaced 4 times, once a year. I dont recommend this car to anyone

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  this car is a piece... - 1996 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By ihatemyZ34 - March 29 - 10:00 am

  this car is an unbelieveable piece of crap, which is unlikey for GM... i take care of the car as if it were my child and it still betrays me... alternator shot three times, air pump twice, location on both is moronic (under engine and behind front right wheel well)... get about 20 MPG...

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  Horrible - 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By nick - March 28 - 10:12 pm

  I bought this car for $8000 with about 61,000. I got ripped off with the price due to the fact that I am young and my first car. When I first got the car I loved it, no problems at all for the first 3 months. Then, the worst happened. I needed a new battery, new headlights, which are still to this day 2 different shades. the dashboard is loose, dealership said they fixed it, never did. New brakes. The mileage on the car started flashing at about 65000 mi. Im hearing rattling sounds from the front end of the car. This is just about the worst car anyone could ever purchase. No wonder why they discounitued the Cavalier. Im surprised it took this long to discontinue.

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  Very cheap interior - 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By nick - March 28 - 2:06 am

  I looked at a Monte Carlo because it seemed a lot like a Thunderbird which they dont make anymore. But it is anything but. The main problem I have with this car is the cheap interior. The door panels and dash make a lot of noise when going over bumps. Also the car has a lot of road noise. This car is junk. Stay away!

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  So disappointed in gas mileage - 2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By teese - March 27 - 2:37 pm

  The overall look is nice, but the back seat is way too close to the front seat. The gas mileage is horrible. The truck handles well in the snow. The back hatch should close with an automatic button, its too heavy shutting it on your own. They cheaped out on that feature.

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  My Review - 1998 Chevrolet Malibu
  By jayman2176 - March 25 - 9:07 pm

  I bought this car from my aunt at 61,000 miles. I have had some of the same problems that most of you did. Brakes go in 15,000 miles even with aftermarket brakes. ABS sensor goes bad. Faulty automatic winder motors. Pull goes out. The base line performance lacks but I many performance parts added to the motor and suspension. It made it a good track car after modification. But all and all it still an American made car which means it will never be better than a 7 out of 10.

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  Hunk of Junk! - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Stash - March 23 - 3:10 pm

  I have had my TrailBlazer for 2 years and have had nothing but problems. The first thing that went wrong was the driver side panel on the seat had to get replaced within a year. The second thing was the rear windshield wiper hinge had to be replaced. The fourth is the passenger side panel on the seat had to be replaced. The fifth thing is my dash and headlights keep dimming often. I took it to the dealership and they claim its normal. The sixth item is the rear windshield wiper hinge had to be replaced again. The final thing so far is that my hatch shocks are going out and the hatch will not open all the way. This truck is junk. Im getting a foreign car. I had a 5 year old Civic, and not one problem.

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  Im iffy on this one - 2000 Chevrolet Blazer
  By Fred - March 21 - 2:36 pm

  When I first bought it - I was excited to have an SUV becasue of the space (I upgraded from a 92 Cavalier) But from the start I had problems getting it started (which turned out to be a fuel pump issue that we figured out 3 years later). I, like a lot of other people on here, had fuel gauge problems, even after the pump got fixed - and I replaced the wheel bearings and ball joints twice! Gas mileage stinks - even for an SUV - and it doesnt really handle that well. I was always replacing brakes and rotors -and the spare tire blocking all the rear visibilty was brutal. If you are not in 4WD, its terrible in the snow - and even in 4WD its marginal at best.

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  2006 Chevy Express - 2006 Chevrolet Express
  By a66cuda - March 19 - 8:48 pm

  We bought the van due to the fact that we out grew our Grand Caravan, and we love the fact that we can tow anything that we want. I have only owned it three months, and I love the room, and power it has.